Woman Hunt
by ClarkieTheCutie
Summary: Ginny Weasley finds that she can hide, but she can't run.


The group all exchanged nervous glances. How had they allowed themselves to be roped into this? By Slytherins, no less. And yet here they were, each with a vial of truth serum in front of them. It was a modified version of Veritaserum. It would make the person taking it entirely truthful, but for only one person. The person who fed it to them. If anyone else asked, it was like you had drunk pumpkin juice. Entirely harmless.

Lately, interhouse relations had been good. The Gryffindors were no less prideful and the Slytherins no less devious, but they had called an uneasy truce and their bickering was the bickering of children, nearly the same kind they had with others of the same house. So when Blaise Zabini had overheard Lavender Brown complaing to Parvati Patil that she was dead bored due to the fact that it was the Christmas holidays and they had all had to stay, because of the war, it was perfectly innocent when he suggested they get everyone to play a huge game of Man Hunt.

They had even gotten permission from Professor Dumbledore, who thought it a brilliant idea. Zabini had neglected to mention (both to the Professor, and anyone else outside of Slytherin house), the second part of the game. The part that involved taking a truth potion if you were caught.

"Alright," said Blaise. Each of the Slytherins (they were all on one team) picked up a vial of truth serum. "I suggest you run," said Blaise, smirking. He was looking somewhere else but Ginny felt he was speaking straight to her. All of the Gryffindors got up.

"Remember, only this half of the castle. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws have the other half!" said Hermione, sniffing. Ginny didn't wait to see what insult the Slytherins threw at Mione. She took off. She had two minutes to find somewhere... Or, she could keep moving. But there were so many hunters... She darted into an empty classroom. Quickly, she threw a glance around the room. There had to be somewhere to hide. There. That huge cauldron. Determined, she swung herself into the cauldron and got down low. She was smart enough, however, not to sit all the way down. She crouched, cat-like, ready to jump out of the cauldron (really, it was huge, who needed a cauldron this big?), at any moment.

She heard footsteps enter the room and tensed, about to jump out of the huge kettle. Until she heard a voice she knew too well whisper a locking charm. Footsteps approached her hiding place and time sped up as Ginny tried to remember if there had been any exits besides the one sealed. Remembering that there was, indeed, an exit on the opposite side of the room, Ginny launched herself out of the pot and sprinted towards the door. She got there much faster than expected as the lean, toned body of her captor slammed into her, pinned her, chest first, against the door. "Well, I appear to have caught myself a Weasel," he whispered in his husky voice. He backed up just enough to turn her around so that they were nose to nose.

"Leave me alone," said Ginny, with far more courage than she felt.

"I don't quite think I want to," he replied, smirking in that Slytherin way of his. That smirk always made her knees turn into jelly and now was no exception. The smirk widened as he felt Ginny melt into him. "And I don't think you want me to either, little Weasel." She promptly planted her hands in the middle of his quidditch player's chest and shoved. He stumbled back, mouth in a startled 'o' of surprise. Ginny turned back to the door and, producing her wand, quickly unlocked the door and began sprinting down the corridor.

Almost instantly she heard footsteps behind her. More than one set of footsteps. Two bodies slammed into her own and a hand clenched around each of her wrists. "Why you little cheating bint!" said one, sounding more impressed than angry.

"You cheated first, Malfoy," snapped Ginny. "You're not allowed to lock someone in. And you didn't say the words!"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Man hunt man hunt, one two three, come with me so peacefully," he drawled lazily. He had time to speak as slowly as he cared to. She wasn't about to get away, not with both him and Blaise Zabini holding her. No matter how strong she was.

"Now, Miss Weasely," said Zabini, smiling. "I believe you have a date with a vial of truth serum."

Ginny looked up at Malfoy, eyes wide and pleading, but didn't say a word. Malfoy's face softened, but then he exchanged a look with Blaise and just shook his head implacably. Ginny shut her mouth tight, defiant. Shaking his head, Blaise reached over and pinched her nose shut while Malfoy looked on, face tight. When Ginny gasped for breath Malfoy, predictably, poured the thick silver liquid down her throat as she choked.

Letting go of her, Blaise stepped back as Draco took a step closer, looking Ginny directly in the eyes. "You're going to answer some questions."

"Yes," said Ginny, in a forced voice.

Draco chuckled dangerously. "Don't fight it, Gin, it's rather useless. Just because it's not veritaserum doesn't mean it's not strong."

"Don't call me Gin, you utter bastard," snapped Ginny.

"Why not, Gin?" said Draco, eyes glittering.

Ginny gritted her teeth stubbornly. Both boys watched her with calculating eyes and both appeared impressed when she resisted the potion for an entire twenty seconds. "Because I only liked that nickname when I thought you were in love with me," murmured Ginny, flinching and closing her eyes to avoid the penetrating gazes of the two Slytherins. In doing this she quite missed the way Draco's eyes darkened with some unidentifiable emotion.

"Alright, on with the real questions. Who did you really lose your virginity to?" murmured Draco, who had never for a second believed that Ginny Weasley hadn't been a virgin when they had first slept together.

This time Ginny nearly bit through her lip trying not to talk and only gave in when Draco, concern in his eyes, reached over to pry open her jaw before she gave herself a highly unwanted piercing. "Draco Malfoy," said Ginny in an almost inaudible tone of voice. Her cheeks were suffused with a bright pink blush that clashed horribly with her dark red hair.

"Why did you lie to me about it," growled Draco.

"I didn't want you to know that I was trusting you with my virginity," said Ginny in a rough voice, unable to fight the potion anymore.

Blaise arched a black brow. Ginny's gaze locked onto Malfoy's. "Does he have to be in here?" she asked, her tone pleading and high. "Please, this is so humiliating." After considering for a moment, Draco turned to Blaise and gave a concise nod. The taller boy left with a slight bow and a quirk of his lips at Ginny that, on anyone else, would have been a smile. "Thank you," murmured Ginny in acknowledgement.

Draco shrugged. "Don't mention it, Ginger. Because I'm still going to interrogate you until you cry."

"Don't call me Ginger!" said Ginny, wriggling to get away.

"Calm down, Ginger," said Draco, smirking so widely his face was sure to crack any second.

She actually growled at him, and, losing her infamous temper, tried her damnedest to knee him in the groin. Draco chuckled, shifting so that her wrists were held in on of his hands and pushing her knee down. Then, eyes darkened to a smoky gray he pressed himself too close for her to be able to knee him again. They were molded together and if someone had walked in they might almost have thought that the two were one multi-tonal, two headed being.

Ginny's breath hitched and she felt herself go boneless as Draco stared down at her with great intensity. "Now, Weasel," said Draco in a soft, sliky voice. "You're going to answer some more questions. Starting with, why didn't you want me to know that you were trusting me with your virginity?"

"I didn't understand why I trusted you. And it wasn't supposed to be serious. We'd agreed. I didn't want to scare you off."

"Gin, you were shaking like a leaf, you didn't think I'd figure it out?"

"Well, no I-" He cut her off by putting one warm hand over her mouth. "Hush. It was a rhetorical question." After a moment her lips stopped moving under his hand and he lifted it away."

"Why'd you run, Ginevra?" asked Draco quietly, eyes fixed on her face.

"We were playing man hunt, so I thought-" He cut her off again.

"You're not going to get out of answering by deliberately misconstruing the question," he said seriously. "Now, why did I get stood up in Hogsmeade? Why did you then proceed to ignore me? Why didn't you answer any of my owls, or ever let me see you at all?"

Ginny gritted her teeth, shaking her head, a pained expression on her face. Draco watched her impassively, waiting. "I stood you up in Hogsmeade because I couldn't udnerstand what had made me give myself up to you like that. I ignored you because I didn't want to deal with it. Same for the owls, and the avoidance," murmured Ginny, looking down.

"You avoided me because you didn't give enough of a damn about me to let me know you trusted me?"

"I avoided you because I do give a damn and I don't want to end up another tabloid sob story!" retorted Ginny, lower lip trembling.

"What the fuck does that mean, Ginevra?" said Draco, moving his grip to her shoulders, grasping her too tightly.

Ginny sucked in a sharp breath, wincing. She'd have bruises tomorrow. "Ow! Draco, you're hurting me!"

"Answer the question Ginevra," growled Draco, not loosening his grip.

"It means I don't want to end up another discard when something better comes along!"

"You think I'd do that?" Draco let go of her, stepping back.

"You did it to Parkinson," said Ginny softly.

"So, you can't trust me because I cheated on Parkinson with you?" asked Draco disbelievingly.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner," said Ginny sarcastically.

"That's bullshit!"

"No it's not, Draco. I realized that if you'd do that to Parkinson you'd do it to me. We're not so different."

"Yes, you are!" said Daco tersely.

"Oh, in what way?"

"I'm not bloody in love with Parkinson!" snapped Draco, pinning her to the wall once again by her shoulders.

Ginny looked up at the much taller boy, eyes wide. "What'd you say?"

"I bloody well love you, Ginevra Weasley," said Draco, hands flexing agaisnt the bruises he'd already formed against her white shoulders.

"Ow," said Ginny hazily.

"What?" said Draco.

"Ow!"

"I say I love you and all she can say is 'ow'?" Draco shook her less than gently.

"OW, damn it! BRUISES, FINGERS, SHAKING!"

"Oh. Oh god. Sorry, Gin," said Draco, peeling his fingers away from her colorfully bruised arms.

Ginny didn't answer, just rubbed her fingers against her bruises, frowning. "Well?" said Draco.

"Well what?" snapped Ginny, looking up, her frown morphing into a scowl at the expectant look on her ex boyfriend's face. "What do you want now?" she asked in an almost scolding tone. Her fingers were still rubbing violently against her bruises in an effort to make them stop throbbing. A failing effort, unfortunately. Instead of lightening up her bruises were darkening, taking on a frightening blackish blue tinge.

"Stop that, you're making it worse," murmured Draco, grabbing her hands gently in his. Ginny grimaced at him, but made no move to get away. "I love you, Ginny. I have no idea why I'd love a red haired, stubborn, idiotic bint such as yourself, but I do," he whispered quietly. When Ginny looked down at the ground he let go of her hands and tilted her chin up, making her look at him. Her eyes were glassy with tears. "Oh Merlin, don't cry, Gin." Draco's teeth were gritted. He positively detested crying women, more than anything else. He couldn't stand seeing girls cry, never could.

"I love you too, you mean, nasty, wicked ferret," said Ginny in a choked voice, burying her head in Draco's chest. She looked up in time to see a triumphant grin burst across Draco's face.

"You'd better, because I went to a shit load of a lot of trouble to organize all this."

"What?" said Ginny, in complete disbelief.

"I did this specifically to find out why you were avoiding me."

"How very machiavellian of you," said Ginny drily.

"How very who?" asked Draco, frowning in confusion.

"Never mind, you culture deprived imbecile."

"Hey!" Draco scowled.

"Careful, you'll wrinkle your pretty face."

"Malfoys do not wrinkle," said Draco, glaring at her.

Ginny grinned, still nearly having happy hysterics. "Then obviously no Malfoy has ever dated a Weasley." 


End file.
